Unicorn Cafe

Well, I must say I am extremely put off and disappointed in Unicorn Café.
This is a pity because I was just getting comfortable there too with its mediocre ambiance and so so staff.
I am an NU grad student who was going to Unicorn Café on and off for the last few months. I am a very very generous tipper and student and the Owner knows this very well. However, one day last week I purchased a cup of coffee and sat down to enjoy it at my table inside Unicorn Café. After my first sip, I noticed it was rather cold. So I returned to her at the cash register to ask her to warm it up. She curtly told me I would have to buy another coffee at the refill price.
I was stunned and at first I thought she must be kidding. I realized she wasn’t when she repeated it to me again more loudly. I then told her I did not want to waste my coffee but only wanted it warmed up. She then did so reluctantly and with great bother.
Needless to say, I will NOT be returning to Café Mozart and neither will my family and friends. To bite the hand that feeds you is beyond me and there are so many nicer, kinder and, gentler cafes in Evanston.
Avoid Unicorn Café at all cost.

Great coffee, delicious baked goods. Full of the campus crowd, there was even someone conducting an interview next to us on one of our visits (we went both mornings that we were in town). Very friendly service. Nice café tables and chairs. When I remarked how delicious a fruit and nut scone was, the server behind the counter thanked me – she’d been up early baking them herself. Nearly across the street from Starbucks — go here instead. If I recall correctly, it may be a cash business.

Decent coffeehouse near campus. The coffee here is always a bit strong for me, and I’m a coffee addict, so that’s saying something. It’s usually a hit or miss in terms of finding a seat (hint: whenever the Starbucks across the street is crowded, Unicorn probably is too), which is why I don’t end up coming here as often as I pass by. The lighting is a little too dim for me, and the tables always a bit too small and cramped. It’s a good place for meetings and to grab a cup to go, but not my favorite for studying.

I come here to study a lot. It has a really nice cozy vibe. It can get a little crowded in the mornings, especially on Saturdays. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the lattes here except for the chai latte. The cappuccino is really good here too.

Good coffee at reasonable prices here. They do serve Colectivo, which is a specialty roaster based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Formerly known as Alterra). I’ve been to several of their cafes in Wisconsin and find that Unicorn Café does prepare the coffee very similar to these cafes. Stop by if you need a delicious, strong beverage to get your caffeine fix and you’re serious about tasting top quality beans.

Chai tea, unsweetened, was really sweet.
unicorn café if you’re already accepting debit card why can’t you accept credit card!
I came on a Thursday afternoon and this place is so packed. There were barely any empty seats. I didn’t like how small all the tables were because you can barely put anything on it and it’d packed. The chairs here aren’t that comfy either. It seems like they’re just trying to pack this place as much as possible but it creates an unpleasant experience for customers.

It’s a nice little coffee shop with unique character in a very convenient location in downtown Evanston. Heavily used by the local residents and University community so it’s busy busy busy. Tables and chairs are small and tightly arranged, as is the case with almost all Evanston downtown dining establishment. Internet is pokey at best, sometimes lethargic to the point of dysfunctional. Coffee and tea are quite good, the tea is served in a proper tea pot, but not with proper teacups and saucers. Selection of coffee-​tea type baked goods is good. Don’t be intimidated by the long lines, they move fast, and if it’s busy here, it’s just as busy at any other place for coffee in Evanston. Go ‘Cats!

I LOVE the homemade Chai Latte and the scones. Go get some!

I was visiting Evanston for an academic conference with my girlfriend. I came across this café while doing a search online for places to work during the day. Judging by the pictures posted it looked like a great place to meet up with friend, sip coffee and work.
The café was just what I expected. Very comfortable, plenty of seating. Lighting and electrical outlets were in abundance. Also got a chance to meet the owner. I found here to be pleasant, welcoming and eager to make sure her customer have a great experience.
I liked the café so much I bought a Unicorn Café t-​shirt for my barista back home.

Coffee is great, but please JUST TAKE THE BLOODY CREDIT. People don’t carry cash anymore, and I’ve seen too many people get their debit turned down and be forced to run to an ATM for cash. And be back in time to drink cold coffee.
Really, it would be a better business move to take credit. Because meanwhile, across the street, the Starbucks accepts payment via an app – you don’t even need a wallet!

I love it here. The food and drinks are lovely, it’s much less expensive than Starbucks, and it’s a comfortable place for sitting, chatting, and working. I would certainly recommend it to anyone near the University looking for a cute, independent coffee shop. Note, though, that it is cash-​only. This is kind of inconvenient, but definitely not enough to deter me from coming here — it’s definitely worth a trip to the ATM!

Unicorn Café on Sherman Avenue is at a comfortable capacity, much like a cup of its hot chocolate: satisfyingly full but not overwhelmingly so, left with a bit of breathing space.
When it was rescued from the corporate grasp of a coffee chain in 2003, this independent coffee house adopted its own sense of style, evident in the faded yellow paint job, the generous milk and sugar station, the cans of local coffee displayed at the counter, and the unicorn portrait displayed proudly in the center of the menu.
Study sessions inside the café fill the warm, perfumed air with a soft chorus of voices. A man staring at his computer jiggles his foot impatiently, a side effect of one too many cups of coffee. A woman in the corner leans lightly with her elbows on the tabletop’s worn marble, and it trembles under the weight. The chairs emit a low creak every time a patron stands or sits.
The cashier stands directly behind the elevated counter, like a captain stands behind the upper railing of his ship, watching over his crew. He displays an armful of tattoos. After patiently telling a customer at the counter that the 16-​oz cup is just called medium, not grande, he hand-​delivers a sandwich to a patron’s table with a small smile.
The box of well-​played board games sitting in the corner and the scuffs on the wood paneling tell a love story of the way caffeine addicts are drawn to this one-​of-​a-​kind café, a friend’s house when home is too far away.
full review is up on my blog!

I like the vibe in here – an abundance of small granite topped tables and sturdy wooden chairs, understated art work (not counting the unicorn by the register – which I will overlook given the name of the café!), and plenty of interesting patrons to furnish the type of bookwormish ambiance that imbues the term «character.»
However, the coffee is meh and the wifi is horrible. I’m currently writing this review by employing my phone’s hotspot. Attempting to utilize the «free wifi» was an exercise reminiscent of the days in my basement, listening for the dial-​up screech from my modem. I was altogether unable to access my work desktop (citrix application), which renders this a not ideal place to get some work done. I also find it somewhat annoying that they don’t take credit cards of any kind here (they will sort of take debit cards – they force you to withdraw at least $ 10 and will hand you the difference between that and the cost of your order). That being said, given the crowd here, it seems there are quite a few people who don’t mind the chronic tech snafus.

Great atmosphere — perfect place to catch up with a friend or to do some work for a few hours. In the spring/​summer months, you can also sit outside and enjoy the sun. It can get crowded with Northwestern University students during midterms/​finals period.
Their coffee and tea selection is quite extensive. I also love the fact that they make their iced coffee more like an iced americana — two shots of espresso poured over ice.
For a coffee shop, it does not have a great pastry/​baked goods selection.
The only downside is that it’s cash only and that it closes relatively early.

Great ambiance, good prices & an overall chill enviroment. I liked it.
The lady working the cash register was really friendly.
There were a few people in there working on their lap top. Definitely a good place to do work or just talk with friends!

I dropped by Unicorn Café twice in one day because I mixed up my meeting times… but I didn’t find it to be anything special either time.
I ordered a green loose leaf tea, and it was given to me in a small, plastic, pretty dingy looking container — the kind where you have to push down the knob yourself to filter out the tea leaves. The tea itself tasted fine, but not much better than anything that I could do myself, and the presentation was definitely lacking.

It’s ironic that this lovely place is diagonally across from the imperialistic Sta*buc*s, but prices here are SO much better. For about $ 2.50, you can get a 12 oz. coffee. The most expensive and the largest-​sized coffee (20 oz.) is merely a few cents over $ 4. Does that sound more appealing?
Don’t think because their coffee is expensive, that wouldn’t be made with good-​quality coffee beans and an intricate Italian-​style coffee machine. If you think so, you’re WRONG. They do have the heavy-​duty coffee machine and makes awesome coffee.
Please be aware that they only take either cash or a debit card. If you pay with debit, you will get cash back by either subtracting by $ 10 or $ 20, whatever amount that covers the cost of your order. They do NOT accept any credit card.
There’s free wifi provided and it worked great the entire time I was there. That place is quite busy, but there isn’t a bad seat in the house.
I like this place, and it’s a five (5)-minute walking distance from the CTA Davis Purple station and the Davis Metra station.

We often come here for a light lunch. The menu is small but everything we have tried has been delicious with good portion sizes and fresh/​wholesome ingredients.
Our sandwiches came with giant slices of canteloupe. The hummus sandwich was on delicious toasty bread and had very fresh veggies. And the daily soup is always vegan! *****Update: Dec 2015 this Summer they discontinued their daily Vegan Soups. We have not been back since as I always used to most look forward to their soup****
The café also has a great atmosphere with changing art exhibits and local newspapers/​mags available for browsing.

Great ambiance, a folky, college town indie vibe, excellent coffee, and overall charm
all contribute to the excellence of this fine establishment. I have very little of anything negative to say about it, except that they are cash only. You’ll encounter that every so often in businesses, however, so definitely no real qualms here.

If you’re like me, you spent your elementary years reading Sweet Valley Twins novels. You’ll remember that Jessica Wakefield was a member of the «Unicorns,» a sort of elite group of popular girls in junior high. They always wore purple. It was a predecessor to «Mean Girls» and the whole «we wear pink on Fridays» thing. During those sweet years, I was also obsessed with Lisa Frank and those magical, rainbow-​colored unicorns.
Enter: Unicorn Café.
I was looking for coffee shops in Evanston, and Unicorn Café made it on my «must stop here» list.
I ordered an iced chai (~$ 3), sat outside and read my book. I liked my drink, and the barista was both friendly and quick. There are a lot of tables inside, most of which were occupied by students camping out on the free WiFi. I stuck out like a sore thumb because I was 1) the only one reading an actual BOOK, and 2) I think I was the oldest person here.
The interior of the place isn’t anything special, but it feels raw, independent, artistic, as if in the minds of all the people here, something really awesome is happening. I don’t think there are any other Unicorn Café locations (sigh), but I appreciate an independent coffeehouse. It’s a nice departure from Starbucks.
They also sell t-​shirts. My inner Jessica Wakefield pined for a purple Unicorn Café t-​shirt (yes, there’s a unicorn on the shirt!), but they only had ladies size medium left. *Sob*

The name of this coffee joint implies rainbows and fantasy and cuteness… dreamy, right? No, ’cause really it just smells like a grandma’s basement! Seriously, do you guys smell that?
Holding my nose, I’ve popped in for a coffee or two and wifi — the wifi was fine, coffee was ok, service was eh, and it was crowded. Not my fav, not a first choice, they need to de-​mustify before I’ll return, unfortunately.